Executive Director Transition

Announcement from The Carpentries

We are sharing the bittersweet news that Dr. Tracy Teal is moving on from her role as Executive Director of The Carpentries in January 2020 to pursue other opportunities. Dr. Kari L. Jordan, our current Senior Director of Equity and Assessment, will be serving as the Acting Executive Director until the next Executive Director has been identified.

“Tracy’s dedication to the mission and vision of The Carpentries and her embodiment of the values of the organisation have made her an exceptional and inspiring leader for The Carpentries,” said Amy Hodge, Chair of The Carpentries Executive Council. “She has deftly guided The Carpentries through its first years as a larger organisation, as well as through our transition to a new fiscal sponsor, Community Initiatives.”

We are proud of all that the organisation has accomplished under her leadership. In the past five years, we have merged our Lesson Programs into a single organisation to provide better operational capacity, further developed Instructor Training and Trainer Training programs and Organisational Memberships, grown our volunteer instructor pool to more than 2400 certified instructors, and taught over 2300 workshops! We have grown our team and network of contributors internationally. We developed CarpentryCon and CarpentryConnects, ran our first CarpentryCon in Dublin and three CarpentryConnect events in the United States, South Africa and the United Kingdom, with more on the way in New Zealand and other locations!

Adds Hodge, “Tracy has determinedly pursued grant funding for The Carpentries and her recent successes in this area have positioned The Carpentries well for future growth and impact. More than anything, Tracy has helped shape the direction of this organisation, epitomised the Carpentries values, and encouraged us all to be collaborative and inclusive, empowering members of this phenomenal community.”

The Executive Council has appointed a search committee from its members (Karen Cranston, Amy Hodge and Elizabeth Wickes) to lead the search and transition process. The Executive Council has also retained Marcum LLP to conduct an international search, which will launch in December 2019, and the search will involve feedback from staff, community and other stakeholders. We selected Marcum LLP because they are a mission-driven professional service firm that works with nonprofits and socially conscious organisations like ours.

In the interim, the Executive Council is excited to have Dr. Kari L. Jordan as the Acting Executive Director, and has full confidence in her leadership and dedication to The Carpentries values.

Below is a message from Tracy:

Dear Carpentries community,

I have truly valued the opportunity to work with all of you throughout my time as Executive Director. With The Carpentries Executive Council at the helm, our current team, structures, community and resources, I am confident in the continued success of the organisation and have decided to move on to new opportunities. It has been a true honour to work with the community, team, and the Executive Council, people who not only move the mission forward, but embody our values and bring joy and courage to their work every day.

Our work in the community and as people is never finished. I have had the amazing privilege of helping to steward Data Carpentry and then The Carpentries, of working with a community of people who are kind to each other and committed in their work. I am proud of having been able to work with you all to build an organisation that reflects who we are and empowers our community to be part of the mission. And, even though I am leaving, I will still be working to democratise data and empower people in their work (more soon!).

I have been so grateful for the opportunity to be a steward for the Carpentries, and I look forward to seeing this amazing community continue to grow!

Best, -Tracy